Hollenbach Leadership

From Embers To Excellence Podcast

“Men exist for the sake of one another. Teach them then or bear with them.”–Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Meditations, VIII:59

“From Embers to Excellence” is a podcast about leadership development from many different perspectives, but primarily from that of a career firefighter. Guests share their insights into leadership and stories that include successful approaches to leading in high-stress environments. Some guests even share failures they've had to overcome which led to profound personal development. While discussions tend to center around fire department culture and the public safety community in general, there are guests from all walks of life that lend a voice to a diverse palette of approaches to successful leadership and leadership philosophy. We all walk a different path, but somehow, we all travel in the same direction when the desire to be a leader who is consistent and dependable is what drives us forward.

Adding Value to as Many People as Possible

Philosophy

"If you're not doing something with your life, then it doesn’t matter how long you live. If you're doing something with your life, then it doesn't matter how short your life may be. A life is not measured by years lived, but by its usefulness. If you are giving, loving, serving, helping, encouraging, and adding value to others, then you're living a life that counts!" ~ John C. Maxwell

When you work hard at becoming someone who is capable of adding value to others, namely those you are leading, you have a purpose linked to your self-improvement goals. When you share your knowledge and skills with your team so that they become more proficient, they get closer to achieving a level of success. That success, whether they define it or not, is being a part of a group that others can rely on. They benefit from the investment you made in yourself and the investment you made in them. The team is more capable now and they will follow your lead. They will begin to develop themselves so they have more to offer the group. The entire time you and your team achieve greater levels of excellence you are aware that your time and efforts have made this team better and you have been experiencing the benefits of working alongside them. Your efforts are and have been for the greater good of the team, but you definitely gained personally. You knew this would happen from the beginning. This is selfish-altruism, which began with effective self-leadership.